Under the baobab: Spring has arrived, but it’s a different world to navigate
“Spring will come and so will happiness. Hold on. Life will get warmer.” — Anita Krizzan
Happy first day of spring.
We have survived but not without scars.
We have passed through the most difficult time in our collective lifetime. Eighty million people in the U.S. contracted COVID-19. Nearly a million died. Worldwide, over 6 million died of nearly a half billion cases. In the U.S., hopefully the worst is over. We seemed to have turned the corner on combating the physical aspect of this plague. The inoculation rate is over 70%. Several treatments have been developed to ameliorate the effects of the disease. We have discarded the masks. But emotionally, scars remain.
We live in a different world. In the future we will define this time as we do other disasters like: 9/11, Dec. 7, the Kennedy and King assassinations. We will say “before the pandemic and after the pandemic.”
It is not over. Rising from the mire of this pestilence we are trampled by another of the four horsemen — war — in Ukraine. Warming ourselves with the first rays of a returning sun, still we are chilled standing in the shadows of economic inflation. Yet to build, we first must bury the bodies, both figuratively and literally. We must learn to be with each other again, to trust and work with each other.
Some have begun to try. Elaine Meder-Wilgus is directing Mary Gage’s “Fallout,” a timely play about the mental struggles of a pilot who observed the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan. Performances at The State Theatre will be at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. on March 30 and 31.
Happy 115th anniversary of Parmi Nous, translated “among us.” Founded in 1907 it is the oldest senior honors society on campus.
This past week several events commemorated the tragic death of Osaze Osagie. He was killed in his apartment on March 20, 2019, by three policemen who were serving a 302 mental health warrant. The event galvanized the community around the treatment of Black youth and the mentally challenged. On March 7, the State College Borough Council presented a proclamation to Dr. Iyunolu Osagie and Dr. Sylvester Osagie, Osaze’s parents, declaring March 20, 2022 a “Osaze Osagie Day of Unity.” On this third anniversary the theme is “beauty from ashes.” It was expressed in an art show at Schlow Centre Region Library, a community movie night and family commemoration at Albright-Bethune United Methodist Church, an art and activism poetry slam at the State College Municipal Building, and a Show of Solidarity Community Concert at the Allen Street Gates.
Penn State Global held its annual “We Are The World” event that celebrated international diversity at Penn State. This year, international organizations set up booths and presented cultural performances that recognized a variety of ethnicities.
On March 24, from 1 to 2 p.m., PSU University Police will be coming to the Paul Robeson Cultural Center conference room to speak about their public safety, transparency and accountability initiative. All participants will get a chance to ask questions and learn more about how police operate and exercise authority and power, especially during interactions with people of color and other historically underrepresented and marginalized groups.
With spring, the political season is starting to heat up. Primaries for state and statewide offices and for U.S. Senate and House of Representatives will be held on May 17. The last day to register will be May 2. You can request a mail-in or absentee ballot up until May 10. The general election will be held Nov. 8. These hotly contested elections will determine who controls both houses of Congress.
The Centre County Democratic Committee will hold their Spring Breakfast on April 9 at Mountain View Country Club in Boalsburg. The Centre County Republican Party will hold its Monthly Breakfast meeting at Sunset West in Bellefonte on April 21.
Sisters and brothers, it’s time to shake the dust from our boots and climb back in the saddle. Amandla!